Saturday, Apr. 24, 2010| Comments (1) | Recommend (1)
Carlyle companies must forfeit funds after employing illegal immigrants
BY LAURA GIRRESCH

BELLEVILLE -- Two Carlyle companies on Friday pleaded guilty and were sentenced in U.S. District Court on charges related to employing illegal immigrants.

Wedekemper's Inc. and Wedekemper's Construction Inc. pleaded guilty to six counts of being an accessory to willful failure to register.

As part of an agreement to plead guilty, Wedekemper's Inc. agreed to forfeit $5,500 and Wedekemper's Construction Inc. agreed to forfeiture of $12,500.

The court fined Wedekemper's Inc. $500 and Wedekemper's Construction Inc. $2,500. The companies each also had to pay a $50 special assessment fee per count and now will have to participate in an E-Verify system for five years.

E-Verify is an Internet-based system operated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in partnership and the U.S. Social Security Administration. It allows an employer to determine an applicant's eligibility to work in the United States.

The federal government began investigating the companies in June after the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in St. Louis got a tip that Wedekemper's Construction Inc. was employing a previously removed illegal immigrant. While investigating, the agency found that several other illegal immigrants were working for the same company.

During the investigation seven Wedekemper's Construction Inc. employees were apprehended. Six of them were later charged with various criminal offenses, including misuse of a Social Security number, possession of a fraudulent Alien Registration Receipt Card and re-entry of a removed alien.

Contact reporter Laura Girresch at lgirresch@bnd.com


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